Spring 2023, Wild Things, RecipesTorrey DouglassMarch 01, 2023

Miner’s Lettuce

Spring 2023, Wild Things, RecipesTorrey DouglassMarch 01, 2023

Springtime’s Tasty Weed

by Holly Madrigal

Springtime in Northern California blankets the coastal woodlands in lush green. If enough rain has fallen, then the moss drips, the forget-me-nots emerge, and miner’s lettuce flourishes. Most people can easily identify it, perhaps cultivating some ancient memory of coastal walks of their youth, or of an older companion saying “you can eat this.” Miner’s lettuce is characterized by a succulent, mild, yet slightly lemony green leaf—a heart-shaped oval with the delicate white flower perched atop like some sort of fairy fascinator hat.

Known as Claytonia perfoliate, large swaths can be found grouped under the shady side of oaks and buckeyes. It is so ubiquitous that many a forager overlooks it, like how your eye no longer registers the intricate glory of the California quail because it is so common. Food and forage writer, Hank Shaw, calls miner’s lettuce the “iceberg lettuce of wild foods.” In an article on the website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, he describes how this humble spring green has enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy, which is how the miners used it during the gold rush. Native to North America, it is one of the few predominant “weeds” that can claim this providence, a plant indigenous to the Americas but which does not have the bitter weed-fame of the dandelion (native to Europe).

You can find miner’s lettuce quite easily near any trail within roughly thirty miles of the coast, and in fact it may be a pleasant surprise in many other locations. Keep an eye out for this overlooked gem next time you are on a springtime walk.